Japanese Fruit Jellies

Japanese-Fruit-Jellies-Fresh-Fruit.jpg

I hope you have all been doing well. We are one year exact into working from home now. I haven't been inspired to be cooking a lot outside of work but these little desserts are a treat and something refreshing to look to after long days. Making another set of these to pass onto friends who are open to eating my cooking. I love a reason to make more of these and brighten a part of my day.

Japanese fruit jellies. I was really drawn to make this. One, because they are totally beautiful and pleasing to the eye. Two, I am a total sucker for jellies and light desserts. Agar-agar is the powder I used to gelatinize these beauties. Also known as Kanten/寒天 — this is a favourite treat from dessert shops in Japan and Taiwan. Along with grass jelly and aiyu jelly  — these are traditional summer sweets I grew up enjoying.

Agar-agar can be found in most Asian stores in powder form or strips, check to make sure no additional sugar has been added. Feel free to use any container you have on hand. I used a baking dish and glassware before settling on ice cube trays. The ice cube tray helps separate the fruits and provides a neat shape without cutting. Glassware is also great if you want to serve it straight from the dish.

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Japanese-Jellies-With-Fresh-Fruit.jpg
Edible violas from my garden, beautiful to use in these jellies

Edible violas from my garden, beautiful to use in these jellies

Japanese Fruit Jellies

Ingredients

Makes around 16 jellies, or fills 3 ice cube trays

  • 1-liter water

  • 100 grams caster sugar (sub white sugar, use 120 grams if you like things sweet)

  • 8g Agar-agar powder (or according to package instruction)*

  • Fresh fruit — strawberries, kiwi, berries, mango, mandarin oranges

Instructions

  1. Prepare the fruit by cutting and slicing it into bite-sized pieces. Aim for a variety of shapes and colors here.

  2. In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, and Agar-agar powder. Whisk over medium heat until the agar agar powder and sugar are dissolved. Let the liquid cool until warm to the touch but not yet set. We don’t want to cook the fruit here.

  3. Pour the liquid into your mold and press the fruit into the liquid. Allow to cool and refrigerate until chilled. If using an ice cube tray — slide a sharp knife into the side of each mold to help release the jelly. Serve chilled, straight out of the tray or sliced into cubes.

Notes:

* Different agar brands may vary in setting strength. Follow the instructions on your package for the best results.